Show off San Diego’s extended grilling season with a four-course extravaganza, all cooked outdoors

Pity the poor folks in Columbus and Kalamazoo who are packing up the briquettes and singing Bye-Bye Barbie, Barbie Bye-Bye. Lucky San Diegans know that the best is yet to come. With an average temperature of 75 degrees and dropping humidity, October means that we can gather around the backyard barbecue, cooking and dining under the stars, long after school bells ring and the last curve ball is pitched.

But the dog days of grilling don’t mean just throwing a few links on the Ducane.

Instead, let’s celebrate our good fortune with a four-star, four-course grilling adventure. That means charred bruschetta, pizza and the ultimate shrimp cocktail as appetizers; Grilled Pound Cake with Pineapple Salsa and Tequila Whipped Cream for dessert. In between, we’ll play with flank steak in an espresso marinade.

There’s no need for shuttling back and forth to the kitchen. Our menu is cooked completely on the backyard grill; even the portobello mushroom salad.

Maureen Clancy is a former U-T Food columnist. She now writes the “Matters of Taste” blog atwww.maureenclancy.com.

Bruschetta appetizer

Chips and guacamole are so, well, so Cinco de Mayo. For this fall fiesta, try bruschetta. This Italian treasure takes its name from the Italian word bruscare, meaning “to burn.” So toss those slices of Tuscan bread on the barbie and top them with one of these ready-made spreads:

Cut dough into 2 pieces, and dust lightly with flour. Roll out one piece on a well-floured surface, forming a circle about 6 or 7 inches in diameter. (Leave crust a bit thicker around the edges to form a rim.) Place on a piece of lightly oiled parchment paper or a cookie sheet for easy transfer to the grill. Repeat with second round of dough.

Brush one side of each dough round with olive oil, and place, oil sides down, on well-oiled grill grate. Close lid, and grill 1 to 2 minutes or until bottom sides are browned and crisp. (Check dough after 1 minute.) Lightly brush tops of dough with oil, and turn. Close lid, and grill about 1 to 11/2 minutes, checking after about 45 seconds. Remove dough to a cookie sheet or large flat serving platter.

Spread grilled dough pieces evenly with mascarpone cheese. Top with smoked salmon, and sprinkle with capers and fresh chives. (Pizzas can be served immediately or placed on turned-off grill for 30 to 45 seconds, with lid closed, to warm toppings.) Cut into thin wedges or bite-sized pieces and serve with lemon wedges.

Make the rub: Place the lemon zest, peppercorns and salt in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder and grind to a coarse powder. You can also make the rub in a mortar using a pestle.

Rinse the shrimp under cold running water, then blot dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp and rub in a large mixing bowl and toss to mix. Add the vegetable oil and stir to coat. Let the shrimp marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Make the horseradish cream: If using fresh horseradish, finely grate it or chop it in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. (If using the food processor, cut the horseradish into ½-inch-thick slices before processing.) Transfer the horseradish to a nonreactive mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grill the shrimp on a preheated grill, turning once or twice, and cooking until the shrimp turn pink and are firm to the touch. (This can be done ahead of time and the shrimp refrigerated until ready to serve. Or the shrimp can be served hot off the grill.)

To serve, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the horseradish cream into the bottom of each of 4 martini glasses. (If serving shrimp cold, you can use clear, 8-ounce plastic cups for easier cleanup.) Drape the shrimp over the edge of the glasses or arrange them on a platter and serve with a bowl of the horseradish cream.

Grilled Flank Steak With Coffee & Black Pepper Marinade

About 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus a little more for rubbing on the steak

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely round black pepper

1½ to 2 pounds flank steak, trimmed of fat

Combine the coffee, mustard, garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, the brown sugar, salt and pepper in a large dish or zip-top plastic bag. Remove and reserve ¼ to ½ cup marinade and set it aside to be used as sauce.

Add the flank steak to the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours, turning the meat occasionally.

Heat a grill to medium-high. Remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the liquid for basting. Lightly pat the steak dry with paper towels, rub it all over with a little oil and season with a little more salt.

Grill, basting frequently with the coffee marinade, until cooked rare to medium-rare, 3 to 6 minutes per side, depending on thickness. (You don’t want to overcook flank steak, so take it off the grill when it’s slightly less done that you would like.)

Let meat rest at least 5 minutes before slicing it thinly, across the grain.

Combine any juices that have collected with the reserved marinade, heat in a small saucepan, and pour over and around the beef and serve.

From “Bistro Cooking at Home,” by Gordon Hamersley; Clarkson Potter.

Grilled Portobello Salad With Toasted Walnuts

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced shallot

Coarse salt

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

3 large or 4 medium portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed

8 cups mixed baby lettuces

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic and sherry vinegars, mustard, shallots and a pinch of salt. Slowly whisk in ½ cup olive oil, then season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Brush the mushrooms with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper. Grill them for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Set grilled mushrooms in a bowl to catch their juices as they cool. Add the accumulated mushroom juices to the vinaigrette.

When mushrooms are cool, slice into thick strips and place in a large serving bowl. When ready to serve, add lettuces to mushrooms, sprinkle on half the cheese, and toss gently with vinaigrette, to taste. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and chopped walnuts on top and serve.

Place the cream in a chilled bowl and beat with a mixer until soft peaks start to form. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon and tequila. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat or it will turn to butter. This can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed.

When ready to serve dessert, lightly brush each side of pound cake with butter on both sides. Place the cake on a well-oiled grill and cook for 2 to 4 minutes per side, rotating each slice a quarter of a turn after 1 minute to create a crosshatch of grill marks.

Place cake slices on serving plates, and top each slice with a spoonful of “salsa” and a dollop of whipped cream to which you’ve added the tablespoon of tequila. Garnish each plate with a sprig of mint.

Pineapple Salsa

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups fresh pineapple cut into ½-inch cubes

3 tablespoons thinly slivered fresh mint

1 to 2 jalapeño peppers (preferably red), seeded and minced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste

1 tablespoon light brown sugar, or more to taste

Place the pineapple, mint, jalapeño, lime juice and brown sugar in a nonreactive mixing bowl, but do not mix them until 5 minutes before you are ready to serve.